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Comment by embeddedradical | Hacker News Reader

freakin tweakers. amphetamines may help you energetically do a bunch of mindless tasks, but when it comes to hacking - insight, intuition, and the ability to notice patterns as you go are all very important. these are also the things that diminish with the use of amphetamines.

see: http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2008/12/brain_performance_dru... and http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2008/07/the_neuroscience_of_i... and then google around for more...

do more research before messing with your brain like this. there's enough brain-dead yet hyper drones coming out of the younger generations as is.

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"[D]o more research before messing with your brain like this. there's enough brain-dead yet hyper drones coming out of the younger generations as is."

I did. In the '80s I spent a fair amount of time researching neurochemistry, talking with doctors, and experimenting with assorted nootropics (including prescription drugs, street drugs, and items obtained from overseas). I paid attention to what caused what effects (both good and bad). I'm a big fan of wetware hacking.

My research tells me my brain chemistry needs assistance. So I get it. And I will continue to pay attention to the effects of amphetamines to be sure they are they right choice.

No one should just pop wonder drugs and call it a day, but often there is no real way to know what's going to work until you go try it. The science is inexact; I've accepted the lab rat risks.

There's a down side to being bright and creative while never finishing anything.

The great logician and mathematician, Alfred Tarski, was an amphetamine user. As well as great sci fi writer Philip K. Dick.

So, in vulgar Popperian fashion, I declare the theories in your posts to be falsified!

Paul Erdös was a heavy Ritalin and Amphetamine user for the last 25 years of his life. He died at age 82. He was enormously productive at an age when most mathematicians have stopped producing anything.

http://www.amphetamines.com/paul-erdos.html

How do you know those two wouldn't be even better had they not used amphetamines?

Erdős. He quit for a month on a bet, but complained that mathematics had been set back a month.

You are right, I don't know that, so while I can't falsify the anti-amphetamine claim in a rigorous scientific way, I can still point out that not all amphetamine users are spending their late night tweaking sessions on mindless tasks. That should be enough to at least spark some curiosity about the drug having some possible benefits, at least in moderation.

I think it comes down to a matter of values, i.e. the long-term constant health of your physical brain vs. the benefit from getting extra bursts of energy to focus on immediate work. Not something science can really answer.

" ... the long-term constant health of your physical brain vs. the benefit from getting extra bursts of energy to focus on immediate work"

BTW, the experience varies for people, and I suspect that if the drug is giving you that "speed" sensation it may not be a good choice. Stimulants calm me down. =I don't get a burst of energy; I relax and make plans, and see them through.

How do you know they would have?

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